Lead guitarist Daniel de Luna is a monster all the time, but he's absolutely uncontainable when he's playing anything with a bluesy riff to it. If he felt like lighting his guitar on fire after every solo, it wouldn't be unjustified. And what's more, his niftiness is made even more so by the fact that he relays entirely none of his enthusiasm for the genre with his face.

It's bizarre. He's hands are going a mile a minute, the entire place is burning to the floor around him, and his face looks like yours when you're playing the first few levels of BrickBreaker.

That's why when we heard that de Luna, member of the heralded blues rock band Runaway Sun, was the centerpiece of a new band, a rocker group called The Last Ones, we knew that all of the other Artist of the Week petition emails we'd received that week were pointless. When one of the best guitar players in the city starts a new band, you pay attention.

So we reached over to de Luna to ask him to respond to some sentences that ended in question marks with some sentences that end in periods. He was with it. Upcoming: rumors about deer ghosts, the pressure involved in starting a band, and so on.

Rocks Off: Tell everyone everything they need to know about The Last Ones in exactly six words.

RO: We heard a rumor once; hoping you can confirm or deny. Story goes there were these guys out in the woods hunting deer. One of them nailed one clean through the heart from about 140 yards away. He died instantly. But then, from nowhere, Daniel de Luna appeared, guitar in hand. He began playing. And once the trenchant noodling hit the dead deer's ears, he sprung back to life. Then, once finished, the deer looked de Luna in the eyes and, soft as squirrel fur, whispered, "Thank you, Daniel de Luna. Thank you." True or false?

DDL: I cannot confirm or deny that rumor. However, I do have a pet deer named Lazarus.

RO: Is there a ton of pressure when you're starting a new band while coming from a band many have already said very nice things about? Seems like there would be.

DDL: Yes, there is a certain amount of pressure that comes with all that, but there's also the excitement of creating something new and that feeling overpowers any pressure.

RO: Are all of the members from other bands?

DDL: Yes. The other members of The Last Ones are actively involved in other studio/live projects, respectively.

Cover art by Daniel de Luna

RO: How hard is it starting a new band? I mean, not in the technical sense; that seems pretty easy, actually. Like, you just have to say, "I'm in a band," and people will say, "Oh, okay." I mean, how hard is it to start one and then become actively involved in "the scene"?

DDL: I would have to say it is somewhat difficult. Any time you're dealing with multiple individual's personalities, time schedules, and real-life situations, something as simple as a rehearsal can become a challenge. However, at the end of the day, if you can manage to get together and play music that's good, honest, and heartfelt, then I'd like to think things have a way of naturally falling into place.

RO: Why hasn't anyone started a band and called it "The Scene"? Seems smart enough.

DDL: I'm not sure, that's a good question. Mind if I use it for my next project?

RO: Sure. Who is the leader of The Last Ones?

DDL: There is no leader of The Last Ones. We all work together to create something greater than each of us individually and we all run the speed.

The Last Ones' self-titled EP is available on iTunes and streaming in its entirety on thelastones.com. See them on Saturday at Dunn Bros Coffee in Katy, October 28 at Bohemeo's and November 6 at 94.5 FM's The Texas Buzz at Scout Bar.